Spanish
Bogotá. – Colombia celebrates this July 20th, 215 years of its independence from Spanish rule, a process that officially began in 1810, although its roots go back to the end of the 18th century with the Revolución de los Comuneros and culminated in 1819 with the dissolution of the Viceroyalty of the New Kingdom of Granada.
The emblematic date commemorates the uprising that occurred in Bogota on July 20, 1810, considered the first step towards emancipation. The episode known as “El Florero de Llorente” marked the beginning of the independence movement, after a confrontation provoked between Creoles and Spaniards. According to history, the incident was planned by patriots like Antonio Morales Galavís, with the aim of generating a political outburst amid a climate of social tensions.
Although independence was consolidated years later, in 1819, with the decisive Battle of Boyacá and the subsequent formation of the Angostura Congress and the Republic of Colombia, July 20th was established as the official date of national celebration. This year, the commemoration coincides with the installation of the new Congress of the Republic, within the framework of a transformed political landscape after the election of Gustavo Petro and the Historic Pact, which represent a new government proposal for the country. It is worth noting that, although July 20th is the national date, other departments celebrate their independence on different days: Bolívar does so on November 11th and Santander on July 10th, reflecting that the separation from colonial power was a gradual and diverse process in the different regions of the country. More than three centuries after the beginning of Spanish rule, Colombia reaffirms its sovereignty in a day that mixes history, civic spirit and reflection on the current challenges of the country.
